The Magic Ticket

A story of the emotional growth of a young boy who grapples with the unimaginable death of his sister but who finds solace in libraries and books. 
When his beloved sister dies and his parents are too grief-stricken to attend to him, a little boy must figure out on his own how to process what has happened. When he visits his local library and a kind librarian hands him a “magic ticket,” he finds an unexpected sanctuary in the world of books. Could reading be the gateway to understanding, and coping with, such a devastating loss?  
David Hicks (author) and Kateri Kramer (illustrator) have created a tender and moving tale of loss, grief, and the healing power of storytelling, “a love letter to story, to books, and to libraries as a space to nourish both mind and heart” (Maria Mayo, Anythink Libraries). 
Recommended for ages six and seven, and for grown-ups everywhere whose childhoods, like that of the author, were forever changed by the death of a loved one. 

David Hicks is the author of the debut novel, White Plains, published by Conundrum Press/Bower House Books in 2017, and one of three finalists for the Colorado Book Awards (2018). Excerpts from the novel have been published as short stories in Glimmer Train, Colorado Review, Specs, Saranac Review, and South Dakota Review, along with other stellar journals.

David lives with his wife Cynthia in northeast Pennsylvania, where he directs the Maslow Family Graduate Program in Creative Writing at Wilkes University. He is represented by Victoria Skurnick of the Levine Greenberg Rostan Literary Agency.

Illustrating and designing professionally for six years, Kateri Kramer eventually paired that with a love for writing four years ago. She earned an MFA from the Mile High MFA at Regis University and has had numerous essays published. She is a regular contributor for The Rumpus where she illustrates the Sketch Book Reviews Series.